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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2009)
Page 8 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, April 22, 2009 Junco feeds on the ground, they tend to come in large flocks and they chirp up a storm. Bird Q & A’s Part 3 Mating Circles Q: Do all birds mate for life? A: No. Some species such as eagles, cranes, swans, and geese have strong bonds between mated birds that may last for life. Most North American birds pair up primarily to reproduce and go their separate ways soon after nesting. In some species, such as the ruby-throated hummingbird, the pair bond is very brief, last- ing only as long as courtship and copulation. The male has nothing to do with the incuba- tion or raising of the young birds. Chirping The chip-seal process helps to extend the life of county roads. (Photos courtesy Josephine County Public Works Dept.) JoCo public works plans projects (Continued from page 1) said. “If you have to recon- struct it, the costs go way up there.” The public works department will be aided this year by the infusion of federal stimulus dol- lars, which Wheaton said will provide a “quick shot in the arm.” “What this has done is enable us to use money to do projects where we get more bang for our buck,” he said. “The pro- jects on the list are things that are going to save us money in the long-run.” Projects include 2- inch asphalt overlays for roads that are “beyond chip-seal,” Wheaton said, along with work on bridge impact panels and guard rails. There are also county roads within the city of Grants Pass that need improving. “Those cost a lot of money to get up to city stan- dards,” Wheaton said. Extra care is taken to ensure that improvements are made throughout the county. “We don’t concentrate on one area,” Wheaton said. Construction season typi- repairs under some bridges. Wheaton said that the founda- tions become eroded over cally runs until October, but the public works department remains busy year-round. Winter involves plenty of snow plowing and keeping culverts from flooding. As such, there is also quite a bit of “reactive maintenance.” “Those take up most of our time,” Wheaton said. Next year, the depart- ment will begin doing scour time by rocks and water. For the short-term, Wheaton said, the federal stimulus money helps the department and the overall community. “Most of those projects are contracted, so that should help the local economy,” Wheaton said. Wheaton said that the public works department is financially solvent at this point in time, but cautions that the gas taxes used to fund road improvements has not kept pace with infla- tion. And though federal stimulus dollars enable the department to pri- oritize some sorely needed projects, it may take more than that to keep the roads smooth for Josephine County drivers. “It’s not a long-term fix,” Wheaton said. Chen wrote. “I do not want my own affairs to continue to be dis- rupted by the city’s delays.” Chen stated that she sub- mitted receipts and engineer- ing documentation for the work some 18 months ago. “I repeatedly requested city officials to proceed with the AFD formation,” she wrote. “It no longer matters to me that the city council felt it could ignore its obligations. Although the conduct of the city was extremely distressing at the time that time is past. “Now my concern is to get this disagreeable relation- ship behind me.” Chen wrote that she wants the city to finalize the reimbursable amount, and that “continuing the delay will merely cause me more distress and cost more money in legal fees.” During the council’s April 13 meeting, Polk asked for direction on how to pro- ceed with the AFD methodol- ogy. He defended the current methodology, based on acre- age, as the most fair to all involved. The council agreed, and public hearings are to be held on the matter toward the end of May. Walt Juergens Painting License #80820 Bonded - Insured All work guaranteed 32-years experience 597-4136 Pressure Washing Available 20% Discount on labor through May CANDY & MORE Tuesdays - Saturdays 11-4:30 (next to King’s, downtown CJ) A: Yes, aerial displays and flight songs are ba- sic components of many birds’ courtship ritu- als. July is prime time for such displays. In O’Brien, we’ve seen male Hummingbirds do- ing U-shaped displays, reminding me of a roller coaster ride. Quiet going up and scream- ing going down. The male hummer does the same. Longevity Q: How long do birds live? A: “An Introduction to Ornithology” by George Wallace and Harold Mahan states that the mean natural longevity of wild birds is very low. Computed averages usually are for fewer than two years. Join me and other bird lovers at Michelle’s Saturdays mornings at 8:30. I hope to see you all there. My email is birdwatching@frontiernet.net. From Bird Watchers Digest & Harry Johnson. Your Illinois Valley source for bird seed & supplies 28409 Redwood Hwy., Cave Junction 592-4996 RCC construction to begin May 1 Exterior Interior Residential Commercial 15 varieties of delicious fudge A: The chirping you describe is a chorus of short, single, high-pitched notes uttered at in- tervals by each member of the flock. These calls make locating the bird extremely difficult for predators and bird watchers, but allow the birds to keep track of flock mates without hav- ing to watch them. We’ve noticed this more in the winter than any other season. The Oregon Sponsored by Developers question city AFD formula (Continued from page 1) However, Chen and the company have since become insolvent, and the lingering issues surrounding the AFD apparently are creating com- plications for her. “The city council’s con- duct with respect to formation of these two AFDs is making it extremely difficult for me to provide the information I must provide, and this is causing me both legal cost that I cannot meet and per- sonal emotional distress that inevitably results from a situation that bears directly on my private life but that re- mains beyond my control,” Q: I have often noticed that when little birds come to my yard to feed they come in small flocks. I hear lots of chirping that isn’t like their regular songs. Are these birds actually talking to each other? Q: In July I observed an American Goldfinch fly up from a field then circle, slowly rising to about 30 feet while singing. Could this be a courtship display? Governor: 503-378-4582 Representative DeFazio: 541-465-6732 Senator Merkley: 503-326-3386 Senator Wyden: 541-858-5122 White House Advisory Committee: 202-456-1111 “Let your voice be heard!” In Grants Pass, the Rogue Community College Redwood Campus soon will become a construction zone. Work on nearly $4 mil- lion in Oregon stimulus pack- age projects is set to begin Friday, May 1, with most of the construction affecting the campus near Grants Pass. Projects also are scheduled at the Illinois Valley Learning Center in Kerby, the River- side Campus in Medford, and the Table Rock Campus in White City. The Oregon Legislature approved an economic stimu- lus package totaling more than $72 million aimed at reducing the state’s high un- employment rate and improv- ing the economy. RCC’s share is $4 million. “The intent of this money is to get as many people working as possible,” said Lynda Warren, chief financial officer and dean of College Services. The Redwood Campus, originally constructed in the early 1960s as a Job Corps training facility, will get the lion’s share of upgrades. These include replacing win- dows, air conditioners, install- ing new paving and road striping, and replacing wooden decks and sidewalks. Also reroofing several buildings, replacing seating in the Rogue Bldg. auditorium, upgrading communication network wiring, and adding safety lighting throughout the campus. Repairs to plumbing, electrical items, windows and other upgrades will be made at the Illinois Valley Learning Center in Kerby. More than 99,000 square feet of carpet will be laid dis- trictwide. Additionally, aging network and communication infrastructure will be up- graded at the Redwood, Table Rock and Riverside cam- puses, along with roof re- placement and HVAC up- grades. The RCC Board of Edu- cation passed an emergency declaration in February al- lowing the college to enter contracts for the $4 million in projects without competitive bidding. An “overwhelming response” from local contrac- tors delayed the contracting process, according to Warren. SFI announces courses Siskiyou Field Institute (SFI) of Selma has an- nounced its schedule of courses during May, all of which require advance regis- tration. Phone 597-8530 to regis- ter, and for additional infor- mation including fees. *Sketching Wildlife Im- ages, Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3. Hone sketching skills at SFI’s Deer Creek Center on Saturday, then put them to use at Wildlife Im- ages in rural Grants Pass on Sunday. *Klamath River Canyon Wildflowers, Thursday through Sunday, May 7 to 10. Stay at Sandy Bar Ranch in Orleans, Calif. while learning about and searching for wild- flowers and other distinct plants in bloom. Tuition in- cludes two dinners, Sunday brunch and lodging. *Seabirds and Marine Mammals, Friday and Satur- day, May 8 and 9. There will be an evening talk and a day- long course. *Blooms, Bats and Birds Weekend, Friday through Sunday, May 15 to 17. Sec- tions will be a day hike through a gorgeous section of the Oregon Coast Trail, an outing to learn about bats, or “birding” the Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside with local experts. *Klamath River Ethnobi- ology & Traditional Ecologi- cal Knowledge rafting trip, May 22-25. *Birding the Siskiyou High Country, Saturday and Sunday, May 23 and 24. I.V. EXCAVATING LLC SELMA, OREGON Septics, House Pads, Roads, Logging, Land Clearing 541-597-2485 Office 541-660-6048 Cell Edward Podoll Dave Campbell Motorcoaches depart from the Junction Inn at 5:30 a.m. monthly! Call about our upcoming MONTHLY RENO TRIPS 541-826-4616 or 541-292-6555 (cell) The RCC Board con- ducted a special meeting April 9 to extend its emer- gency declaration another 60 days. Overall, the college had interest from 115 contractors for the 11 major projects and some 70 smaller projects. Approximately 97 percent of the contractors submitting proposals are from Josephine or Jackson counties while the remaining proposals are pri- marily from Klamath County contractors. CCB #181530 DEQ #38491 Sunrise Tours presents... RENO, Nevada.....April 27-29 $99 per person (double occupancy), $130 single. Includes a dinner, two free breakfasts, $5 lunch coupon, & $22 cash back. Australia & New Zealand Branson, Missouri Amtrak/Glacier Trip Southwest National Parks USA Fall Foliage by Coach USA Fall Foliage by Air April 2009 May 2009 July 15-19, 2009 June 12-30, 2009 October 1-31, 2009 October 10-25, 2009 Discounted Rates for School Charters
